The present invention relates generally to certain alkylated diphenyl oxide derivatives useful as plastisizers for cellulosic derivatives, and particularly to a di-tertiary-octyl diphenyloxide possessing unique characteristics useful in the preparation of plasticized ethycellulose compositions.
The preparation and general utility of alkylated diphenyloxide derivatives is known and has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,170,809 to Coleman et al. The aforementioned disclosure broadly suggests the utility of this class of compounds as plasticizers, and provides a general synthesis involving the condensation of diphenyl-oxide or a lower alkyl derivative thereof with an alkylating agent such as an alkyl halide, olefin or alcohol, and an alkylating catalyst selected from the group of materials known as "Friedel-Crafts catalysts." The particular derivative of interest herein is prepared by the synthesis set forth in Example 7 of Coleman et al.
Further mention of the di-tertiary-octyl derivative appears in U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,413, to Kropscott et al which relates to plasticized ethylcellulose compositions, wherein said derivative is reported as being prepared by an essentially Friedel-Crafts condensation.
Though the dipheyloxide derivatives taught by Coleman et al and Kropscott et al possess recognized utility as plasticizers, a need exists to further modify the plasticized ethyl-cellulose composition to provide an improvement in properties at a reduction in materials costs. This is particularly true in the instance under consideration herein, wherein the ethyl-cellulose material is desirably extruded to form a continuous thin film strip product. Ideally, the reduction of plasticizer content of the cellulosic resin without the corresponding diminution in processability would be desirable, as the presence of the plasticizer detracts from the tensile properties of the extruded strip product.